E-Commerce Holiday Calendar 2021 for Retailers

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Now that we have wrapped up 2020, it’s time to prepare for the e-commerce year of 2021! With that in mind, what are some important seasonal dates retailers should take note of in planning their campaigns and promotional events?

We’ve prepared an e-commerce calendar containing the key e-commerce events in 2021 to save you time and inspire you to make 2021 a success! Use this to plan your e-commerce marketing strategies for the year ahead, or get inspiration for your social media calendar if you’re feeling stuck. 

Add these e-commerce dates to your 2021 calendar and never worry about missing a potential marketing opportunity!

We split the e-commerce calendar up into 4 quarters:

• Quarter 1 2021

• Quarter 2 2021

• Quarter 3 2021

• Quarter 4 2021

P.S. Check out our recently published E-Commerce Holiday 2022 calendar here!

Quarter 1 2021

January:

1 January –  New Year’s Day

This day of the year sparks new beginnings for everyone! Your customers might be searching high and low for some inspiration to kick-start new goals and plans. Start sending out emails to wish them a great start to 2021 and offer some items they might need for school/work! 

Retailers like Lenovo have started promoting Back to School Sales 2021 for students looking to purchase new laptops for school, while e-commerce giant Amazon will be holding its annual January sale for consumers looking to start the new year.

4 January – National Spaghetti Day 

7 January – International Programmers’ Day 

11 January – International Thank You Day 

17 January – World Religion Day 

18 January – Martin Luther King Jr. Day 

26 January – International Customs Day 

26 January – Australia Day 

February:

7 February – Super Bowl Sunday

On Super Bowl Sunday, families and friends gather together to watch the annual American football game, Super Bowl where the champion of the National Football League (NFL) will be determined. A survey conducted by the National Retail Federation (NRF) predicted consumers to spend $17.2 billion during Super Bowl Sunday; with 80% going to food and beverages. 

If you run an online grocery store, why not grab this opportunity to create promotions around family packages and encourage shoppers to buy drinks or snacks in bulk! What’s a game without drinks, snacks, and the right company?

11 February – National Investors Day 

12 February – Tết 

Tết, also known as Tet Nguyen Dan, translates to “the first morning of the first day of the new year”. It is an occasion celebrated by the Vietnamese as they welcome the new year. If you are running an e-commerce business in Vietnam, this is your chance to present attractive deals as people will be looking out for new clothes, home decorations and other beautiful objects to welcome the year. Retailers should also prepare free parcel tracking service in Vietnam to their customers so that they are able to track their orders during this peak season.

12 – 13 February – Chinese New Year

This is known as the biggest and most important occasion for ethnic Chinese around the world as they celebrate the start of another year. According to the Chinese Zodiac, the year 2021 welcomes the year of the Ox. E-commerce stores hoping to attract Chinese shoppers should build collaterals around the intelligent and hardworking Ox. Alternatively, you can offer great deals and promotions to encourage consumers to shop in bulk for festive goods for the Chinese New Year, such as decorative items, drinks, and snacks. 

14 February – Valentine’s Day

Oh dear, the one date that many both hate and love! This is not just a date to celebrate love, but also a date where couples spend on gifts and show their appreciation for each other. Retailers should definitely leverage this joyous occasion to provide customised gift sets for couples. For example, jewellery brands like Pandora and Tiffany & Co. release Valentine’s Day gift sets for couples every year. 

18 February – National Drink Wine Day 

20 February – Love Your Pet Day 

23 February – Play Tennis Day 

March:

5 March – National Employee Day 

5 March – National Salesperson Day

6 March – Dentist’s Day 

8 March – International Women’s Day 

International Women’s Day is a date where many celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. This date is crucial  if your brand and your customer base stands by these same values.. 

Retail brands have been showing support on their social media platforms and creating products that promote this day. For instance, Casetify partnered with Malala Fund to create a limited edition launch, with 100% of the proceeds going to Malala Fund.  You can use your brand to show support and celebrate the milestones accomplished by women around the world!

14 March – White Day

Another day to celebrate love! You can plan a longer campaign starting from 14th Feb (Valentine’s Day) and reach out to your customers on both dates. This date was created in Japan to allow people to ‘give back’ after receiving gifts on Valentine’s Day. Popular gifts for White Day include white chocolates, cookies, candies, marshmallows, jewellery and more! 

Marketing opportunity: offer discount codes in your email marketing campaigns to remind consumers to give back and show appreciation! 

17 March – St. Patrick’s Day 

St. Patrick’s Day is a cultural and religious celebration held on the 17th of March, which marks the death of Saint Patrick, a patron saint of Ireland. During St. Patrick’s Day, Europeans come together to celebrate through parades, festive food, music, drinks, and dance. The colour green is often used on this day. If you want to create a campaign on this date, the colour green is the way to go! Create a lookbook or shopping checklist with all items green. 

21 March – Fragrance Day 

28 March – Holi

The Hindu festival is celebrated to welcome the arrival of Spring, which is seen as a new beginning. Devout Hindus let loose on this day to party and dance to celebrate the vibrant and colourful future ahead. If you are a retailer selling traditional Indian clothing, you can create a blog post or checklist for your products this Holi!

Quarter 2 2021

April:

1 April – April’s Fools

2 April – Good Friday

4 April – Easter Sunday 

Easter Sunday is one of the most important holidays after Christmas and Thanksgiving for Christians. In a survey conducted by the National Retail Federation (NRF), 4 in 5 consumers in the US had plans to celebrate the occasion. This is the time where many retailers launch Easter sales to attract customers to shop with them. 

Start sending out email newsletters to remind your customers of the upcoming holiday and remind them of your brand whenever a date like this comes along! Additionally, include discount codex in those emails to boost your e-commerce sales. 

10 April – Siblings Day 

11 April – National Pet Day

13 April – Start of Ramadan 

17 April – Husband Appreciation Day

This date reminds us to celebrate the hard work and dedication of all husbands. If your brand appeals to women, use your platform to mention this day, and encourage your customers to buy something as a token of appreciation for their husbands. 

22 Apr – Earth Day

Earth Day is an annual event celebrated globally in support of environmental protection. The topic of sustainability has been circulating around for a while now, especially within the retail and supply chain. Brands like Adidas, ASOS and H&M have been actively promoting sustainability; NBC put up a list of brands that offered discounts during Earth Day in 2020. 

If you are looking for an opportunity or window to enter the scene, here’s your chance! Start your 2021 with campaigns around sustainability and shopping responsibly. 

May

1 May – Labor Day

Labor Day honors the hard work of employees around the world. This is a good day for businesses to give back to their employees and show appreciation. On this day, retail giants like Best Buy, Lenovo, Dell, and many more offer labor day sales for consumers. Do not miss this opportunity to engage and reach out to your customers!

4 May – Star Wars Day

7 May – International Space Day

9 May – Mother’s Day

An important date to appreciate and celebrate the amazing work that mothers do at home. Partner with floral stores and offer bouquets together with your products. Plan ahead to provide packages for consumers looking to pre-order Mother’s Day gifts in advance, or people looking for last-minute gifts nearing the date or on the date itself with same or next day delivery services. 

12 May – International Nurses Day

13 May – Hari Raya Puasa/Eid

Hari Raya Puasa/Eid, also known as the breaking of the fast is an occasion celebrated by Muslims all over the world. On this occasion, Muslims will gather with their loved ones to celebrate the end of month-long fasting over a feast. 

Stores and malls were fully packed in Indonesia ahead of Hari Raya Puasa last year. This counts as the biggest e-commerce holiday for the Muslim population. If you run a marketplace or e-commerce store, you should be pushing for a list of items your targeted consumers should get during this occasion. For example, the. “Hari Raya Collection” by ZALORA is a great example.

13 May – International Hummus Day

26 May – Vesak Day 

31 May – Memorial Day (US)

June:

3 June – World Bicycle Day

5 June – World Environment Day

8 June – Bestfriend Day

8 June – World Ocean Day 

12 June – Global Wellness Day

20 June – Father’s Day 

Happy Father’s Day! This is another important date to note and celebrate fathers all around the world. This is a great opportunity for your business to put together a lookbook or promotional campaign for “Father’s Day Gift Ideas”. For example, – create a category just for Father’s Day gifts just like Amazon did.   

21 June – International Day of Yoga

28 June – Amazon Prime Day 

Amazon Prime Day is one of the biggest shopping events hosted by Amazon. If you are a seller on Amazon, this is a great opportunity to create bundles and packages for your customers! Create exclusive “Amazon Prime Day Deals” to attract customers to purchase from your store during this shopping event. 

Amazon Prime Day 2020 was pushed back to kickstart an early holiday shopping season. Third-party sellers on Amazon made more than $3.5 billion from Amazon Prime Day 2020. If you are looking for a golden opportunity to earn as a seller in 2021, start prepping and plan ahead!

Quarter 3 2021

July: 

1 July – Canada Day 

4 July – USA Independence Day

In a survey conducted by the National Retail Federation (NRF), it was found that 76% of Americans had plans to celebrate Independence Day 2020, and 56% of them intend to spend on hosting or participating in cookouts; barbeque parties, or picnics. This led to estimated spending of $6.5 billion on food items.

5 July – Work-a-Holic Day 

13 July – National French Fry Day

17 July – World Emoji Day 

20 July – Hari Raya Haji

During Hari Raya Haji, Muslims gather with their families and loved ones to celebrate the end of Hajj. This day involves dressing up, feasting and celebrating. As a retailer specialising in modest wear (less skin-revealing clothes), use this occasion to promote and upsell your products with attractive deals. 

Bigger marketplaces and retailers like Zalora, Tokopedia, Bukalapak and Lazada have categories for modest clothes.

25 July – National Parents Day

30 July – International Friendship Day 

August:

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